Community Wish List 2010

Lend a hand to these central Illinois organizations this holiday season.

The Animal Protective League (APL) is a private, not-for-profit animal welfare organization, funded by donations. It operates an animal shelter, a low-cost spay/neuter clinic and maintains numerous programs that benefit members of the community. APL services individuals and other animal welfare groups and animal control facilities within a 90-mile radius of Springfield.

Serving the community since 1925, Catholic Charities provides foster care, intact family service programs and adoption services while also operating numerous other community service programs. Additional programs include the St. John’s Breadline, Holy Family Food Pantry, Crisis Advocacy, St. Clare’s Health Clinic and MedAssist Program.

Wish list:

Large 12x12 kid friendly carpet for our visiting room utilized by the foster care program

Central Illinois Community Blood Center (CICBC) is the provider of life-saving blood for 12 hospitals throughout central Illinois. A division of Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center (MVRBC), CICBC and MVRBC collect 165,000 units of blood annually and serve a total of 75 hospitals in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin.

Wish list:

We need more healthy individuals commit to donating blood regularly.

Facts about donating blood:

It takes approximately one hour.

Most donors can contribute every two months – an annual commitment is for 6 hours a year.

The Holiday food Basket Project is a ministry of Grace Lutheran Church. Three times a year we provide food baskets to local schools to help families who tend to “fall through the cracks.” In addition, families from the Lutheran Children and Family Services Foster program receive Food Baskets at Christmas. While each basket provides the ingredients for the holiday dinner, extra items are included to assist school age children who will not receive breakfast or lunch during the school break.

Staffed only with volunteers, this ministry served 613 Adults and 785 children in 2009. Food or cash donations are welcome. Drop off items at 714 E. Capitol Ave between 8:30-4:30.

Wish list:

Ham

Instant Potatoes

Canned Sweet Potatoes

Gravy Mix – Jar

Stuffing

Canned Vegetables

Jello

Cake Mix

Canned Frosting

Macaroni & Cheese

Peanut Butter

Jelly

Saltine Crackers

Pork and Beans

Chili – Canned

Canned Cranberry Sauce

Extras for Holiday School Breaks (Items children can prepare by themselves)

Founded in 2002, the Haitian Development Fund operates a medical clinic and elementary school in inner city Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Its medical clinic treats 14,000 patients each year and its school educates 45 co-ed students.

Helping Hands of Springfield is a non-profit organization whose mission is “. . . to shelter the homeless, provide support, promote independence and work with others in the prevention of homelessness in the community.” Helping Hands provides its clients with the basic necessities as well as rehabilitative programs to help those who are able to move out of poverty and homelessness to lives of independence, self-respect and hope.

Inner City Mission was established in 1984 to serve homeless women, children, and families in the capital area. The mission provides a residential housing program that allows individuals to move from a place of chaos to joy and peace. Currently serving 35 homeless people, the mission is forced to turn away people in need daily due to lack of space. ICM is exploring options to remodel/update the facility.

Wish list:

New roof for shelter facility

New roof for administrative facility

One-time or ongoing financial support

Gift Cards to buy supplies

Canned goods

Little Angels Child Care Center101 East Allen, Springfield Il 62704

Little Angels Child Care Center is a non-profit organization with a mission to provide quality care to children ages preschool to five years old and ensure all children are prepared for Kindergarten. Little Angels has been in operation since 1995 serving low-income families with teen parents, working parents or parents pursuing higher education and training.

Started in 1989 with a mission to prevent child abuse and neglect, the Mini O’Beirne Crisis Nursery provides free emergency, temporary care, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for children from birth through age 6, who may be at risk of abuse or neglect or whose parents are experiencing some type of crisis. In addition to crises care, the nursery offers continuing support to families, in-home visits, crisis counseling, parenting classes, and referrals to other agencies.Wish list:

The Phoenix Center has been a part of the Springfield community since 2001. Initially the Center was formed as a meeting place for LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and questioning) youth and young adults. Over the years the programming has expanded to include free HIV testing, prevention education, and outreach – supportive transitional housing for homeless men and women who are HIV , individual and group counseling for those who are HIV , and the Center is Central Illinois’ LGBTQ community center, where the youth and young adult groups are still meeting as well as other groups, classes, and events.

Prairie Center Against Sexual Assault was founded in 1975. They are funded through state and federal funding, United Way, and grants. Their mission is three fold: to support and advocate for men, women, children and families who are affected by rape and child sexual assault; to offer compassion and ensure justice for victims; and to reduce the prevalence of sexual assault in our communities. The Vision of PCASA is to create, through leadership and action, a community that is free of sexual violence.

Wish list:

Journals

Angels or inspirational stones/trinket items that clients can hold in their hand while testifying in court

Clothing for Survivors to wear home from the E.R: *Specifically— New non-logo adult and youth shirts, sweatshirts, sweat pants, and shorts in neutral colors (grey, black, tan, white) in all sizes. New flip flops (sandals) in all sizes. New women’s, girls, and boys underwear in neutral colors (grey, black, tan, white) in all sizes.

In-Kind Printing- for newsletters, special events and community trainings.

Sponsors for 2011 Walk a Mile In Her Shoes event scheduled for April 16, 2011.

Financial support for the “Hug Away The Hurt” children’s project in partnership with Build-A-Bear.

Walk A Mile In Her Shoes Committee Members- This committee plans and implements the organization’s annual Walk a Mile In Her Shoes fundraising and awareness event in April.

Raffle Items- gift certificates, electronic items, gift baskets, etc.

Bus Tokens/Passes and Taxi Vouchers

Crisis Accommodations- Hotel gift certificates and/or vouchers to provide a short term safe place for victims of sexual assault.

Project Return’s mission is to help incarcerated mothers reintegrate into the Springfield community by matching each returning mother with a team of trained, supportive and supported volunteers for one year. We also educate the public about the barriers these women face as they seek to make a successful re-entry into the community. We help the mother with both immediate challenges (complying with the conditions of parole, reconnecting with family and resuming parental responsibilities, etc.) and more long-term problems (finding permanent housing, finding employment and child care, working on recovery from addictions, etc.).

Project Return was initiated in 2003 by Luther Memorial Lutheran Church with support from three other Springfield-area Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) congregations. Generous funding assistance has come from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Wheat Ridge Ministries, Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, Dominican Sisters of Springfield, Women of the ELCA, Sangamon County Community Foundation, and many Springfield church congregations, to name a few of our supporters. Project Return was incorporated in 2005 and matched its first partnership team with a retuning mother in 2006. She graduated in 2007.

Volunteers and those with questions can call 788.8002 for information.

Rutledge Youth Foundation was founded in 1952 as a Boy’s Farm. Their mission is to assist abused and neglected youth in becoming productive, independent members of society. We serve approximately 250 abused/neglected youth and their families annually. Programs include foster care, group home, independent living, home based wraparound, stabilization, and achieving academic success services.

Wish list:

Charcoal Grill

Grill tools

Microwave

Electric griddle

Pots/Skillets/Pans/Roasters

Silverware

Kitchen towels/pot holders

Kitchenware

Board games

Video game system and games

DVD player

DVDs

Bicycles

Sheets and bedding

Personal hygiene supplies

Salvation Army530 N. 6th St.Springfield, Illinois 62702217-525-2196

The Salvation Army started in Springfield in 1886 and will have served Sangamon County for 125 years next year. We have a homeless shelter, food pantry, free health clinic, youth groups, senior fellowship, social workers on staff and more. We provide housing, meals, clothes, jobs and counseling. We provide this to these men at no cost. We assist people with a ‘hand up’ instead of a hand out.

Sojourn Shelter and Services, Inc. was founded in 1975 to provide a safe place to help victims of domestic violence. Sojourn currently provides 24-hour emergency shelter and hotline services, court advocacy, prevention and education, volunteer opportunities and operates Sojourn Westside Fashions. Each year Sojourn assists approximately 1600 victims of domestic violence and their children.

Special Olympics Illinois Area 17 provides training and competition events for intellectually disabled athletes in Sangamon, Menard, Morgan and Macoupin counties. Their oath is “Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.” Volunteers are needed to help make this happen.

Wish list:We have six large-scale athletic events and two major fundraisers in 2011 and there are 1,001 jobs that need to be done at all of them. You don’t need to know anything about sports, but you DO need a cheerful and encouraging attitude.

UCP was founded in 1957and affiliated with United Cerebral Palsy, a national organization in 1968. The mission of UCP is to provide innovative strategies to connect people with disabilities to their communities. Of those currently served, 40% have cerebral palsy and 60% have other developmental disabilities.